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Deafening silence and uncertainty in Afghanistan

As parts of the country have locked down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the situation has become even more dire for internally-displaced children.

By Omid Fazel

UNICEF/UNI321519/Fazel

18 May 2020

The hidden victims. The ultravulnerable. Millions of the world’s internally displaced children have lost access to their schools, health services, their homes and communities. In Afghanistan, these young lives, already defined by enormous vulnerability, are being upended once again by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crowded living quarters, limited to no access to clean water and sanitation, and severely curtailed health care all increase the risk of the coronavirus spreading among displaced communities, yet all are a daily reality for many displaced Afghan families. These same families are also often cut off from mass communications, meaning they miss out on lifesaving public health messages.

UNICEF and partners are on the ground working to ease the dire conditions faced by internally displaced families, helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and reducing the devastation to these already fragile communities.

UNICEF/UNI321515/Fazel

The inside of a child-friendly space at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) at Hazrat Bilal in Balkh Province, northern Afghanistan.

Just a couple of months ago, this child-friendly space at the Hazrat Bilal camp for internally displaced persons in Balkh Province was a lively place where children could gather safely to chat, play and learn. Those happy sounds have been replaced by a deafening silence since the space was closed to reduce the risk of the coronavirus spreading.

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Nazifa, a facilitator at the Rostam Abad IDP camp, shares information about COVID-19.

Millions of children are currently missing out on learning due to the lockdown. Facilitators such as 18-year-old Nazifa are going door-to-door to displaced families’ homes to increase awareness of COVID-19 and share information on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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A girl at the at the Hazrat Bilal camp in northern Afghanistan smiles for the camera.

Young women and girls already face underlying gender and age-related barriers that make it harder for them to access essential services, information, support, and safety. These vulnerabilities will be exacerbated by COVID-19. School closures, for example, make young girls more vulnerable to abuse. For young girls, including those who are internally displaced, schools can be a safe space where the watchful eyes of teachers and other adults can spot signs of abuse.

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Roqia, a mother of five, holds one of her children at the Rostam Abad IDP camp. Like many residents, she cannot afford masks, so she covers her face with her scarf to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

A pandemic like this also presents unique challenges that can increase the number of child marriages. Because poverty is a known driver of child marriage – with families more likely to marry off daughters in times of economic stress to alleviate the perceived burden of caring for them – the anticipated economic fallout of COVID-19 could result in many more early marriages.

UNICEF/UNI325453/Ghafary

Jalaluddin, 11, holds one of the bags of soap provided by UNICEF. Jalaluddin lives with his family in an IDP camp in Herat, in western Afghanistan.

Already surging poverty levels, ongoing violence and natural disasters have fueled Afghanistan’s displacement crisis and left hundreds of thousands of Afghans particularly vulnerable to an outbreak of a respiratory disease like COVID-19, which could spread easily through the overcrowded confines of many settlements.

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A woman sits with her family after receiving a delivery of soap at an IDP camp in Herat.

The COVID-19 pandemic is already having a devastating effect on families, communities and economies, and we are still to see the full impact on the poorest countries and those with fragile health, social welfare, communications and governance systems. Read more about UNICEF’s latest COVID-19 appeal and how it is working with partners to help reduce the spread and impact of the coronavirus.